The Sluggish Bayou
by mckaylabloodmystic27
Summary: This occurs after Season 7 of Buffy. Forgive me, I just began The Southern Vampire Mysteries books today, so that is meshed unchronologically in there. What happens when Buffy the Vampire Slayer enters the vampire-hating south and runs into her lover?
1. Chapter 1

The air was thick with smoke. Angel glanced around, getting an unwelcome whiff of the atmosphere. Pasty flesh. Sick, desperate humans threw themselves in the hands of some begrudging vampire. Sometimes they were rejected, Angel noticed. Some had broken teeth, bashed in by the vampire who had had just too much begging. On their arms were bruises - the imprints of hands worn as rings on some unlucky arm. The people never cared. They wanted it.

Angel took off his coat and lingered back in the cloud of cigarette smoke. Fang bangers. The word was thrown around with suggestive grins. In reality, the whole thing was depressing. Everything had changed since vampires came out of the coffin two years ago. Riley had never been a "fang banger." He had serious problems - a loss of strength, the insane want to be needed - and the vampires were thankful.

Angel absorbed the image before him. It was always a hard job to help people who did not want his help. His job had just multiplied exponentially.

Safe, back at the hotel, Cordelia and Wesley were making calls. They were trying to find a temporary residence in Louisiana, close to the frenzy of the Bon Temps murders. The only thing that Cordelia could remember from her vision were flashes of the womens' dead bodies. Flashes of vampire hatred ran through her mind as well. "We can't have that happen, Angel." she had said. "We just can't."

"People tend to forget very easily the good deeds of the individual in favor of hating the group," Wesley added. He had a genuine look of concern in his blue, grey eyes. Mouth drawn down in a serious frown, Wesley's five o' clock shadow was ever present. It added shadow and seriousness to his lanky physique.

They had agreed to make a special trip to Louisiana. Cordelia had a feeling that the murders would only get worse and the blame more permanent.

Angel entered the bar to do some regal detective work. With his jacket off, Angel slung the bulky black coat over his shoulder, meandering with a mysterious air determinedly up to the bar. "Pigs blood," he nodded to the bar tender.

"Pigs blood?" The bartender paused, his hand polishing a wine glass. "Did you say pigs blood?" His eyes were incredulous and the corners of his mouth began to turn upwards in a mocking chuckle. The bar tender turned around and flicked his hair. "Okay, my friend," he said between laughs, "what do you want? Diet or regular? We have that new vitamin enriched version. It goes down thick and will make you a little dizzy, but the Japanese say the benefits outweigh the cons. Any preference?" Angel had no idea what the bartender was talking about.

A lot of the time, Angel was disconnected from the world. He remembered that Harmony used to rave about her twitter account. Angel never wanted to be that connected. It was almost comforting.

These situations were a little embarrassing, though. Angel looked around the bar and saw the vampires wrapping their lips around something that looked to be thick strawberry juice in old glass coca-cola bottles.

"Pigs blood," Angel said a third time. The bartender turned around. He had stopped laughing. Placing his hands on the bar, shoulders hunched, the bartender addressed Angel.

"I don't take insults in my bar."

"Insults?"

"Yes. Animal blood is an insult. When vampires can choose from synthetic blood and willing humans why would you disgrace yourself? We're moving up in this world. We don't need people like you dragging us behind. Now, what will it be? Diet or regular?" The bartender stood staring Angel down.

"Regular," he said through gritted teeth. The bartender pivoted sharply around and almost threw the tru blood at him in disgust.

Seeing another patron raise her finger, the bartender started walking away. "You know," Angel yelled, "I didn't even know. I didn't even know there was such a thing as synthetic blood." The bartender stopped and turned around.

"You've got a lot of stuff to learn," he said, "Drink up." Almost as if it didn't happen, the bartender was at the other end, showing off his vampire abilities to doge the cocktail waitresses.

Angel looked into his glass. "A lot of stuff to learn," Angel echoed into his drink. After sipping he smiled then took a large gulp. "Nice."


	2. Chapter 2

"Just call her." Buffy rolled her eyes and continued to stare out the car window. They had been driving for ten hours straight. The rain was not helping.

Xander glanced in the car rear-view mirror at Buffy. She was frustrated with him. What was it with men refusing to ask for directions?

"Come on, Buff. It's probably around the next bend."

"Xander, you said that two hours ago." He glanced in the mirror again and saw Buffy staring at him.

"Well, just for a sec'." They pulled their car to the side of the road. The sunset was beginning to color the sky in deep pinks and oranges. Rain slid down the car windows, like side winders in cool desert weather.

Xander reached in the backseat for his outdated cell phone. Buffy crossed her arms. With some digging around in his pocket, Xander focused on the number written hastily on a spare post-it note.

"I wonder if Sookie's at work." Sookie Stackhouse was Xander Harris's cousin -from his dad's side of course. They had never really been close, but they liked each other; Sookie was always nice and admired Xander for his family quirks. In the back of her mind, she understood his turmoil in love all too well.

After Anya died, Xander was inconsolable. Getting calls from her demon friends, it was decided that Anya would be honored in a special memory service in Bogalusa, Louisiana and the only person he knew lived in the small town of Bon Temps. Far away from the simplicity of the big interstates, Xander was failing miserably at navigating Louisiana's back roads. Only now did he resort to calling up Sookie at her work. He knew how dedicated she was and knew before he picked up the phone that this was pointless.

For a moment there was no noise coming from the other end of the line, then he could hear faint ringing at the other end. A few moments passed like that - Xander on the phone and Buffy sitting silently with her arms folded across her chest. "I guess she's busy." Xander hung up hastily. He let out a sigh and grasped the wheel with both hands. "Back on the road again, eh, old buddy?" Buffy stared at him.

"I think I know another number."

"Who do you know knows Louisiana backroads?"

"Who do you think?" Buffy took the phone from Xander and quickly dialed a number with a lot of digits.

_Great_, Xander thought, _long distance._

After a while, Buffy spoke. "Faith? Oh. Really?" She paused. "Well, how are you holding up. Uhuh. Five by five? Great. Xander and I are trying to get to Bon Temps. Yeah. Louisiana. Long time? Could you try? Thanks. Uhuh. Okay. Yes. Got it." Buffy motioned to Xander to give her a pen and some paper. "Just a sec."

He handed her some graphing paper that Willow had left in the car after he helped Kennedy and her pack up and leave for the airport. They were living in South America now. Willow spent the majority of her time in grad school and Kennedy, like Buffy, had become a police-officer specializing in vampire retrieval. With vampires as ever present as ever, all the police departments opened new "special forces" units, and the slayers were very welcome. Now and Kennedy had an apartment together. The last he had heard from them, Oz and Maggie, one of Kennedy's ex's, would be passing by and wanted to visit. Xander had forgotten to call and ask how that weekend went, but he could sense the strain in their voices when they told him about it. Shaking his head, Xander tried to listen in to the phone conversation.

Buffy scribbled some random arrows and shorthand over the miniature grids. "Thank you. Kiss." She hung up, remembered something, and frowned. Looking at Xander, Buffy smiled. "At least we're not too far."

"And you can entertain me with Faith news." Buffy grinned, nodding her head. She had been on the phone for almost an hour.

"Do you really want a dose of Faith buzz, Xan?" He frowned.

"That's cold. Point taken, but cold. Sure, what's happened since the Big Fight? Faith and Robyn. They sure did move away from Sunnydale quick."

"You're right. Well, luckily she still had her cell with the New York City area code, otherwise, we'd be doing some quality meandering. Robyn got a grant to start up a correctional school for inner city kids and Faith is one of his top counselors. She's been there, you know?"

Xander grunted. "Huh."

"The only bad part is the occasional slurs people throw at her. I guess New York isn't one of the most accepting cities out there." Buffy was remembering how Faith told her this.

Faith had pulled up to a gas station in a not-so-great neighborhood. Robyn was standing outside by the pump, stretching his legs after a more-than-strenuous drive. He smiled her way where she was standing behind the glass front of the store. Like a "bashful B" (she liked to call it) she gave him a flirty look back. The woman standing beside her sighed and rolled her eyes. "F***ing mixers." Faith turned around almost shaking in her black nike's.

"Excuse me, lady."

"You're a disgrace. The whole lot…" As quick as the woman spit out the words, Faith back handed her, sending her sprawling in the beer section.

"Drink up some more, b****." Everyone in the store was quiet and most left. "Thirty on number six." She laid down the cash and smiled at the man behind the counter. He put it in the computer. "Have a nice day." Walking out of the store front, Robyn jogged to meet her halfway.

"What happened in there?"

"A b****," she said, giving him a kiss and walking back to the car. "Let's get out of here. They kissed again and her hand caressed his face. Turning to the side, she whispered in his ear after a pause. "You drive," she said, slipping the keys in his pocket. He took her hand in his.

"But Faith…," he said, eyebrows raised in worry.

"Where was that apartment again?" He sighed and got back in the car.

"About an hour from here."

"I thought so." They drove off.

Recalling this episode, Buffy was more than embarrassed by the time she had spent on the phone. In the time she had talked to Faith, Buffy and Xander would have reached Merlottes twice over. "You're going to want to take the second left."


	3. Chapter 3

"Buffy, do you have to carry that thing around with you?"

"What? This?" She extracted a whittled stake from the inside of her coat sleeve. A squat-looking man with a red shirt with the sleeves cut off looked up at her and smiled wide.

" 'bout time, little miss." Buffy's eyes scanned the overheated bar. The man stood up and raised a Miller Light. "Hey, ya'll. It's one of them vampire killers right here in Bon Temps."

The two guys the man was with were sitting down and smiling wide, chuckling a little. A few people at other tables glanced at the scene, some nodding curtly or returning to their greasy curly fries and mugs of beer. The man squeezed around the tables and made his way towards Buffy, his beer belly casting a shadow over the paneled wood floor. He made to grasp her hand in some expression of gratitude, but finding her unresponsive, he smiled in a defeated sort of way. Straightening up, he spoke as haughtily as a drunk person could. "I just saw the special yesterday."

"Oh." Buffy nodded her head curtly as Xander tip toed around the tables towards the bar.

"tryin' tah' make the world safe even when we was not aware of them. Honorable, it is." He hiccupped and Buffy caught a whiff of the future vomit he was sure to spew. She smiled at him, but it was more of a grimace.

"I've never known anything different. Thanks, though." Before he could trap her with more conversation she nodded curtly and drifted to where Xander was sitting.

"That's her over there." Xander pointed to a spry figure with a blonde pony tail. Sookie stood shifting her weight every few seconds. She held tight to a pen in her fingers while the couple mulled for a few extra seconds over the one-page menu. Buffy noticed that Sookie's eyes would occasionally dart back and forth like she was trying to hold something in.

"She looks nervous," said Buffy, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. They had just driven for twenty hours in a cramped car. "And I reek. She does have a shower, right?" Xander held back a laugh.

"We're still in the modern world, Buff. A small town is just a city where people actually know you exist." Just at that moment, a lanky guy with shaggy brown hair and a baby face made his way towards the table.

"Well I'll be! Alexander Harris? I' that you?" Xander grinned, stood up, and clasped Hoyt's hand like they were old buddies. "Sweet dog! I haven't seen ya in ages!" He laughed as his surprised face turned upwards into a genuine smile. "I had to go on and let Rene take your place."

"Rene?"

"He came in a few weeks ago. Cajun guy. Scruffy dark hair. Little bit of a beard." As Hoyt spoke, Xander drug a hand through his messy hair and felt along the edges of his smooth chin. "It's still not the same, though. Who's your friend?" Hoyt focused his eyes on Buffy's face.

"I'm so sorry, Buff. Hoyt, Buffy. Buffy, Hoyt."

"Hoyt Falconberry," he said as he thrust his hand towards Buffy.

"Buffy Summers." She noticed that he held her hand delicately. It reminded her of an earlier time, a simpler one full of chivalrous gentlemen and blushing ladies. She liked it. There weren't many men like that anymore. Suddenly, Hoyt's eyes widened in understanding.

"Buffy Summers? Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" His mouth was slightly open in pure excitement.

"Something like that."

"From the T.V. special?" The look of polite annoyance on her face shocked Xander into explanation.

"I had no idea that it would get out like that. I swear, Buffy! I mean, one moment I'm showing a guy my suave bar tending skills and the next moment, I'm blabbing about the Scoobies. I mean, after the great revelation and all people were interested. It's not my fault he happened to be a starving documentary filmmaker…" Xander droned on in a flurry of please-forgive-me's and I-am-so-sorry's.

"Xan, man," Hoyt interrupted. "I'm sorry. I'll try to tip people here off to not mention it, Buffy. You seem like a really nice girl." If anything, Buffy was tired. After Hoyt got up, mumbled something to the bar owner, and ambled out the bar door, Buffy put her head on her arm and rested. She was startled when Xander started shaking her arm.

"Upsee Daisey Buffy," Xander chimed through bleary eyes.

"I am so sorry, ya'll," Sookie whispered. The bar was closing down. "Alex, you can have the downstairs guest room. Buffy can have the upstairs bedroom. Just us girls upstairs. Is that okay?" Sookie grazed Buffy's arm in proposition.

"Of course."

"Alex, you'll be close to the kitchen. Just try not to eat me out of house and home Scoobie." Buffy and Sookie laughed while Xander grumbled.

"Buff feels like she needs a shower. She wouldn't let up for most of the trip."

"If it's okay…," Buffy began, but Sookie just shook her head.

"You'll be right next to a nice hot shower. Now, I'll be a few minutes late so here's the key." She handed a short metal key to Xander and gave him a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow at the latest." Buffy and Xander made their way out to the small coupe. Buffy sighed.

"It's just a few minutes," Xander assured her. She was not expecting to meet an offshoot gravel road and the car vibrated giving her, along with a greasy feeling, a headache.

With Xander bringing their suitcases in, Buffy glanced up at the house. It was like something out of a storybook, where generations undoubtedly spent time around the amiable kitchen table and called everyone they met 'cousin'.

After her warm shower, Buffy sat on her upstairs bed in a fluffy white robe and looked down at the covers. Her freshly combed out wet hair hung ominously.

She was thinking about her last meeting with Angel. He had kissed her while his eyes glistened with what looked like human tears. Maybe it was the moisture in the air or a trick of light. Vampires could not cry. At least, they couldn't cry like humans did - their eyes welling up like miniature lakes. Vampires cried blood. Buffy did not see a touch of red in Angel's eyes.

What depressed her was that after the final battle, he had not contacted her. It was almost like he retreated into his work, again.

Buffy did the same, but would it ever be enough - to have those painful memories and knowing that to make more would only end in more pain? She didn't think it would ever be enough.

As she scooted more deeply under the comforters, Buffy turned on her side and noticed that her face was hot. She began to cry, silently into the pillow and encasing herself in a cocoon of covers. That was how she fell asleep. The rain beat down upon the tin roof in a sort of sad lullaby.


	4. Chapter 4

Sookie began to yell angrily. "I am NOT psychic!" Everyone in Merlotts got dead silent. They thought that if they moved a muscle, she would snap. Sookie gritted her teeth and blew out of her noise. "Ugh!" She gripped the tray she was carrying with sweet tea pitchers on it and violently pivoted on the spot, causing her high blonde pony tail to whip like a warning to everyone there. "Sam, I'm going home." Sam Merlotte looked sadly towards Sookie.

"Of course," he said softly. Sam Merlotte had shaggy brown hair. In the sunlight, his hair looked alive. Honey colors of autumn and several shades from subdued orange to dark black danced in his hair. In the filtered artificial light of Merlottes, Sam had grey shadows under his eyes. Instead of being frightening, Sams eyes had a strong look of concern. He would lay down his life for Sookie Stackhouse. Everyone in Bon Temps knew that, except Sookie. If Sookie knew it, she was too frightened to know what it meant. Feelings like that were intense. If the other party was not fully ready for the plunge, they would get lost it it - lost in it or drowned by it.

Sookie barged into the swinging doors in the back of Merlottes. Sam heard a huge crash and a yelp. Sam's thick eyebrows raised in alarm. "Is everything okay in there? Sookie!" Some mumbling was heard.

"I'm…I'm fine," Sookie yelled in a far off voice. "I just dropped the pitcher." Sam went back to his office with a small smirk on his face. _Maybe she'll cool down some now, _he thought. Sookie was responsible and a little extra work would take her mind off of Jason.

"What?" Sookie hissed violently.

"I'm…sorry," Angel managed to interject. He shrunk before her anger. "Let me help you with that," he said. Angel leaned down and began to pick up the shards of glass. "I'm so sorry."

"What the _hell_ were you doing back here," Sookie said in a low voice. "Most people use the front door and, anyways, we're closed. Can't you see that?" Sookie took a deep breath and sighed. "Who are you anyways?"

"Angel," he said handing her a business card. Sookie glanced over the cheap clip art and catchphrase. She laughed.

"_We help the hopeless_. Yeah. That's uplifting." Sookie got a dustpan and began sweeping up the glass. In frustration, she banged the dustpan against the side of the metal trashcan. Angel stood back.

"Could I talk to you," Angel looked at Sookie with concern in his eyes. He stepped forward, unsure of how to move forward. Sookie glanced warily at him, steeping back and sizing him up. _How did he get in here?_ she thought to herself. _He's huge!_

"Well…" Sookie hesitated. She wasn't getting anything from him. No screaming thoughts. No pictures. The closest thing she could pick up was the sound of a vacuum. Angel's mind was the absence of sound. It was like a pit and, yet, she could feel that he wasn't that bad. Nothingness was capable of good sometimes. "Sure," she said, "what's it about?"

"Your bro-"

"You too? Think you can just come up to me and ask about my serial killer brother. Let me tell you. I know Jason and he is NOTHING like that. He couldn't hurt a fly, let alone…" She stopped, trying to catch her breath. Sookie shook her head. "No…leave me alone."

Angel moved forward. "Just listen please. You're the only source we've got and if we don't move soon things are going to get ugly. I know your brother didn't do it. It was just a series of bad circumstances. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You…" Sookie stopped. She looked warily at Angel. "Then, what do you want from me?"

"Facts. If it's not Jason and it's not…well,…anything else then it's got to be someone close to you."

"Someone close," Sookie trailed off lost in thought. Women had been dying. "No. No."

"I can protect you from just about anything." Angel paused. "Trust me." At that moment, he transformed into his true self and showed his fangs. Sookie backed up against the wall.

"What in the world? What are you?"

"Vampire," Angel said.

"No. No. I mean, what happened to your face?" The back door slammed again. Bill looked at Sookie and walked towards Angel.

"California Vamp," he said.

"Who are you?" Angel said.

Sookie brushed off her work shorts. "Angel, Bill. Bill, Angel. We're sort of…dating. California Vampires look like this?"

"Excuse me," Angel spoke up, put out. "I'm right here. What the _hell _are you talking about? Is this guy a vampire?"

"Yeah," Bill yawned and, like the sound of a sword drawn from a sheath, his fangs extended while he maintained the most angelic, hypnotizing face. Angel quickly changed his face back to what it was.

"Well, this is new," Angel said, taken aback. He'd have to ask Wesley if he knew about this. Then again, sometimes Wesley left out the minor details. Angel drew his black coat around him and shuffled in his boots. "I'd like to keep in touch. I've got a team working on these murders and your help would be much appreciated." Bill looked at Sookie. Sookie looked at Bill. Both looked at Angel.

"Sure," Sookie confirmed. "I've got some people staying at my house right now, my cousin and his friend, but if we're quiet we won't wake them up."

Angel was grateful. "Thank you," he said.

"Here," Sookie said, "is my address. Meet me there in about twenty minutes. I've got to finish closing. Bill, I'll call you afterwards."

"Okay," Bill mumbled, looked Angel over. "Make sure to call me, Sookie."

"I will. Now both of you leave. I can't have my boss finding me milling around in the back talking up a storm." She turned and walked into Merlott's bar area.

A few minutes later, Sookie pulled up in her gravel drive way. The stars were shining and the crickets were very loud. She shut the car door and breathed in the night air. As she walked up to her porch, Sookie saw Angel standing there.

"Thank you for meeting with me." Sookie nodded her head, sat on the porch swing and patted the seat next to her telling Angel to sit down. "Thank you," he said.

"Yeah. So, where do we begin?" Sookie sighed.

"We could start with something simple. How did your brother meet these women?"

Sookie laughed. "You haven't met my brother, Angel. These women don't all come from the same walks of life. They're all different. Jason's just…a little too friendly."

"So you're saying…"

"He can't keep it in his pants."

"Oh." Angel scribbled something in his notebook.

-There are no connections.-

"Moving on. Miss Stackhouse, did anyone new move into Bon Temps around the time of the murders or mysteriously move away?"

"Besides you? No. Well, Bill did, but he wouldn't do that." Suddenly, the screen door creaked open. A woman with blonde hair in a white nightgown was wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Sookie, do you have anything for sleep." Sookie got up.

"Of course." Sookie said, but Buffy had opened her eyes and stood frozen. Angel didn't blink.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well," Sookie stood up, glancing from Angel to Buffy then back again. Her eyes danced back and forth between them playfully, then suspiciously, then annoyingly. She stood up, crossed her arms, let out a sigh, and narrowed her eyes at Angel. "Do you two know each other?" There was silence. "Well," Sookie continued, "Do ya?"

Buffy backed away from the door and sniffed. It took her less time to get over the shock of seeing Angel. Once you had a relationship like that, the other person never really leaves your mind, your memories, your conversations (no matter how much you tried to avoid it), and, in this case, your line of vision. So, why should she be so shocked? Besides, Sookie looked annoyed. Buffy started. "Well we…"

"We do," said Angel quickly. He shifted, then took a step back. "I apologize. I'm pushing."

Sookie raised her eyebrow. "Pushing?"

"Yes, look. I thought your connections, with your brother Jason, could help us with a lead."

"Who's us?"

"My team, Angel Investigations."

Buffy's face grew hard. So, even on her vacation, she was on duty. She stepped forward. "So, the Big Bad's in Bon Temps."

"We don't know right now. That's why I needed to talk to Miss Stackhouse." Angel turned and faced Sookie. "I understand why you don't want to talk to me though. Maybe I could get one of my group to scout out the area. Get a feel for what's making all this happen."

"You mean, there's going to be more?" Buffy stepped forward. She had heard about the dead woman. Who in the town hadn't? In Bon Temps, bad news became front page news next to Associated Press clippings and Obituaries.

Sookie blinked. "Okay, just who are you Angel? What do you know that the police don't and why should I be trusting you?" She raised her voice. "I've got just a mind to leave you and call Bill." Sookie took in a large breath.

"No, Sookie, Angel's got a sort of psychic on his team."

"Well, good. If he's got a psychic, then why's he asking me questions?" She turned to Angel. "Shouldn't you already know all the answers."

"We're limited. Cordi isn't exactly what you would call a psychic. She only sees little clips and she can't call them up by her own free will. We've seen a lot of…hate. It's got mob potential, so we traveled down here."

"Great, mobs." Sookie sat down and looked at the porch floor. She glanced at her watch then looked pleadingly towards Buffy then Angel. "It's pretty late. Buffy, why don't you go on back to bed and Angel, maybe we could hold off on the questioning?"

"Yeah. I just…thanks."

Sookie turned, nudged Buffy's arm, and walked back inside. With a swish of his black coat, Angel walked into the dark.


	6. Chapter 6

"It's going to be harder than we thought." Angel took out his small black memo book. "I got nothing."

"Could we not all barge into Cordi's room with our investigate-yness for once?" Cordelia gathered up the papers that Wesley and Angel had placed amongst the room. "Really, I think that Angel's room, in whatever state it's in, is a much better place for detective work."

Wesley rubbed his rough cheek. "Nothing, you say? Did you reach Jason Stackhouse?"

"No, I found his sister, though."

"And?"

"She's not having any of it. Says her brother's innocent."

"He is in jail. However, it is strange that there was more than one dead woman in this vision.

"How so?"

"Well, if the culprit were imprisoned, even for questioning, and more dead bodies were to show up before he were released, that would prove one of two things - either he's innocent or.."

"He's got an accomplice. Someone on the outside."

"Then again, vision cases aren't usually this simple." Wesley paced back and forth, his fist was clenched and covered his mouth.

"Uhm. Hello. Did no one hear me? This is my room!" Cordelia crossed her arms and pouted.

"True," Angel said.

"I thought you'd see it my way. Now…"

"Yes," Wesley said, "there was that doctor in LA who could project his body parts with his mind."

"And there are portals. Wolfram and Hardt is still alive and well."

"Guys, really. Out." Cordelia had gathered up all their papers and was holding open the door. "The place you want is two doors down."

Angel and Wesley looked at each other.

"Very well. Angel, your room does have lamps right?"

"It does. No windows, though."

"Right."

Cordelia smiled as she held Angel's door open for them.

"Well, what did you find out?"

Angel held open his memo book. "I went looking for Jason but I heard he was in jail. They were holding him for questioning."

"Ah, if the cops think that's necessary, Mr. Stackhouse's reputation in Bon Temps is going to suffer a great deal."

"I don't know if the townspeople are going to believe that one of their own did it rather than a group of vampires."

"True, when it comes down to it, the question does remain - who do they hate more?"


End file.
